Continuous improvement model
Strengthen your organisation by adopting one of these continuous improvement models
Continuous improvement model
A continuous improvement model is the long-term approach to improve products, services, or processes within an organisation. Its aim is to drive efficiency, profits and create a more agile working environment. However, before you look at adopting continuous improvement within your organisation, it’s important to recognise the different continuous improvement models.
The PDCA cycle
The PDCA cycle contains the steps you need to keep your processes functioning.
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Plan:
This the first part of the cycle. Identify the problems or opportunities and create a plan for change, as well as your expected outcome.
Do:
Implement the change on a small scale. This will allow you to test the solution and to see if it’s achievable.
Check:
Compare your results to the expected outcome. If your expected outcome was not achieved, then you’ll have to start the cycle again.
Act:
The final stage is implementing your solution on a wider scale.
Kaizen
The term Kaizen means continuing improvement involving everyone. From top management, managers, and workers, it’s the spirit of cooperation and commitment in the workplace. The term came from the challenges of rebuilding Japanese businesses from scratch after World War II. The Kaizen model has six phases:
- Identify a problem or opportunity
- Analyse the process
- Develop an optimal solution
- Implement the solution
- Study the results and adjust
- Standardise the solution
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Process vs results
Kaizen will help you focus on the process, not the results. By concentrating on the process, you’ll see the result automatically improve.
Putting quality first
Quality is not just about the finished product. Quality, in terms of Kaizen, relates to the processes that create the product. It’s important to focus on quality through all activities, including production, sales, customer service and design.
Speak with data
To solve problems and for continuous improvement to be successful, you must gather the data. Without the help of data, you will not know what needs improving, so make sure your analysis is based on the numbers.
The customer
Kaizen focuses on the quality of each stage in the manufacturing process. It’s important that throughout each stage, the customer is always ‘the next process.’ This will help you avoid defective products and will increase the overall quality.
Six sigma
Six Sigma is a developmental approach, aiming to limit defects and variability. The Six Sigma method is defined below:
- Define the problem
- Measure and quantify the problem
- Analyse and identify the cause of the problem
- Improve and solve the root cause and verify
- Control and maintain and pursue perfection
Lean
Lean focuses on the removal of waste, which is anything that doesn’t add value to the customer. The three main steps of lean are:
- Identify the waste activities
- Identify how these waste activities are driving down efficiency
- Eliminate and reduce the waste activities
Advantages of continuous improvement models
By adopting the continuous improvement or Kaizen methodology, you’ll expect to see some of the benefits listed below:
- Encourages smaller, self-managing groups
- Helps you recognise employee efforts
- Improves employee involvement in work
- Helps you to identify human activities that add no value
Disadvantages of continuous improvement models
It’s important to understand that by adopting continuous improvement within your organisation has its disadvantages. Here are just a few to be aware of:
- Kaizen signals a permanent change of management system. Therefore, it’s hard to return to previous systems
- Increases the burden on lower-level management
- As Kaizen focuses on the small details, it can lead to diminishing returns
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